Green corn cutter



Dec. 4, 1951 c. E. KERR GREEN com: CUTTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 30, 1946 CHARLES E. KERR R O T N w m m 7 m 9 a m v M v 3 4 m a \v Wn: m LH K. '3 i a @e m 59 M 76 09 I 7 a w 9 7 Ii i a u a 9 IIILI 2 3 A 5 e i 5 9 E I I m ATTORNEYS C. E. KERR GREEN CORN CUTTER Dec. 4, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1946 INVENTOR CHARLES E. KERR ATTORNEYS Dec. 4, 1951 c. E. KERR GREEN CORN CUTTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 50, 1946 INVENTOR GIIIRLE'S E. KERR Dec. 4, 1951 c. E. KERR 5 5 v GREEN CORN CUTTER Filed Sept. 30, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR QIMRLES E. KERR eam- /a' ATTORNEYS C. E. KERR GREEN CORN CUTTER Dec. 4, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 50, 1946 INVENTOR CHARLES E. KERR ATTORNEYS knives; and

Patented Dec. 4, 1951 GREEN CORN CUTTER Charles E. Kerr, Hoopeston, Ill., assignor to Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application September 30, 1946, Serial No. 700,245 4 Claims. (01. 1so' 9) This invention appertains to corn cutters and relates more particularly to an improved mechanism for automatically cutting the kernels from ears of green corn.

One object of the present invention is to provide an automatic ear gauging and knife adjusting mechanism for corn cutters which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and highly efficient in operation.

Another object is to provide a corn cutter wherein the cutting knives are opened by centrifugal force and gauge means are provided to limit the degree of opening of the knives according to the size of the ears of corn treated thereby.

Another object is to provide a compact cutting head for corn cutters in which the corn milk cannot become mingled with the lubricating medium around bearing surfaces of the head and in which the lubricating medium cannot leak out of the head into tainting contact with the product handled thereby.

Another object is to provide automatically adjustable knives for a corn cutter which are universally adapted for cutting blanched and unblanched corn alike.

Another object is to provide cutting knives having a surface conforming to the circumference of the cob and which remains the same irrespective of continued grinding or sharpening of the knives.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompany- ,ing drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a corn cutter embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the corn cutter taken along line 2-2 in Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the corn cut- .ter taken along line 3-3 in Fig. 2. a

in Fig. 4, with certain parts broken away and others shown in section. I

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the cutting 2 Fig. 9 is an end view of the cutting knife shown in Fig. 8.

The present invention is illustrated in connection with a corn cutter similar to the one disclosed in Patent No. 2,386,955 issued October 16,

.1945 to Charles E. Kerr and, therefore, the conventional structure already known in the art will only be described sufliciently to render the present, invention understandable.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings herein, I designates the frame work of the corn cutter comprising a casting 2 and a housing 3 secured thereto by means of nuts and bolts 4. The frame work I may be mounted upon a base, not shown, at a convenient height for the operator who serves the machine.

The casting 2 includes a gear casing 6 provided with a removable cover I and rotatably mounted within bearings, not shown, of the gear casing 6 is a main drive shaft 13 provided with a drive pulley l4 keyed thereto for rotation therewith. The drive pulley is driven from a source of power by means of a drive belt, not shown.

Journalled in bushings l1 and I8 (Fig. 4) secured in a split portion I9 of the housing 3 and extending parallel to the drive shaft I3 is an auxiliary drive shaft 2|], Figs. 2, 3, and 4. This drive shaft, which will bedescribed later in full detail, has a belt pulley 22 secured thereto by a set screw 23. Trained around the belt pulley 22 anda belt pulley 24 (Fig. 1) keyed to the drive shaft 13 is a V belt 25 so that upon rotation of .the shaft I3, shaft 20 is correspondingly rotated.

Mounted Within the housing 3 is a rotary cutting head 26 and a rotary scraping head 21 (Fig. 3) each of which is driven by a gear 28 and 29, respectively, keyed to the shaft 20.

Mounted in the front portion of the housing 3 is a feed trough 30 within which an endless feed chain 31, trained around a power driven sprocket 32 and an idler sprocket, not shown, is

arranged. The sprocket 32 is keyed to a shaft 33 which is driven in a conventional manner by drive mechanism (not shown), reference may be had' to the aforementioned patent for further details thereof.

The husked ears of corn are deposited end to end in the feed trough 30 and are carried along the same by means of the chain 3| with their axes substantially coincident to the longitudinal axis 36 of the cutting and scraping heads 26 and 21, respectively, Fig. 3. A pair of feed rollers 30f disposed to receive an ear of corn from the chain 3i and ,feedit into a second pair "of feed orgaugerollers 42 and 4? cooperating with the feed rollers 40, 4| to align the axis of the ear with the axis 36 of the cutting head 26 to thereby feed the car into the cutting head.

The feed rollers 40, 4|, 42, and 43 (see Figs. 2 and 3) are similar in construction, each preferably being made of soft rubber or similar resilient material in spool shaped form and provided with upstanding ribs for gripping and centering the ear of corn horizontally in aligmnent with the axis 36 of the cutting head 26. The feed rollers 48, 4|, 42, and 43 are further provided with circumferential grooves to prevent rotation of the ears while they are fed into contact with rapidly rotating mechanism in the cutting head 26. a

As each ear of corn passes through the cutting.

head it is fed between another pair of spool shaped rollers 44 and 45 each having metal prongs or teeth 46 which penetrate into the cob of the ear of corn and aid in withdrawing the same from the cutting head and in feeding the ear into the scraping head 21. The diameter of the rollers 44 and 45 is preferably greater than that of the preceding feed rollers to accelerate the withdrawal of the ear of corn from the cutting head to make way for the next ear fed by the rollers 40, 4|, 42, and 43 toward the cutting head When the cob leaves the scraping head 21 it passes between discharge rollers 48, 49 which are similar to the rollers 44 and 45, but are slight- 1y greater in diameter with respect thereto to thereby accelerate the withdrawal of the cob from the scraper head and discharge the cob into a chute 58 which in turn discharges it from the machine.

The feed rollers 40, 4|, gauge rollers 42, 43, pronged rollers 44, 45, and discharge rollers 48, 49 are carried by shafts 55, 56, 51, 58, 59, 68, 6|, and 62, respectively, and are fixed thereto for rotation therewith in any convenient manner (see Fig. 2). The shafts to 62, inclusive, extend through elongated slots 6,4, 65, 66, and 61 in the split portion I9 of the housing 3, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, and are connected by universal joints 68, Fig. 1,

to upper and lower shafts 69 and 18 constituting extensions of the shafts 55 to 61, respectively. The shafts 69 and 10 are rotatably mounted in the gear casing 6 and are rotated in opposite directions through worm gearin generally designated 1 I, associated with the shaft I3.

Cooperating pairs of roller shafts 55 to 62 are freely movable toward and away from each other by reason of the universal joints 68 and are confined to swinging movement in a vertical plane by hearing blocks 13 and 14 guided for vertical sliding movement in channels 15 (Fig. 2) on the housing 3 adjacent the elongated slots 64 to 61.

Mounted above each of the upper shafts 55, 51, 59, and 6| is a separate equalizer arm 16 and below each lower shaft 56, 58, 68, and 62 is a separate equalizer arm 11. The upper equalizer arms 16 are pivoted on a stud shaft 18 and the lower equalizer arms 11 are pivoted on a stud shaft 19. The stud shafts 18 and 19 are fixed in bearings 86 provided in a partition 8| forming a part of the casting 2, as is shown in Fig. 1.

Each of the upper equalizer arms 16 has a trunnion 82 which fits into an arcuate groove 83 in the bearing block 13 associated therewith while each of the lower equalizer arms 11 has a trunnion 84 fitting into an arcuate groove 85 in the bearing block 14 associated therewith. Opposing upper and lower equalizer arms have apertured lugs 86 and 81, respectively, Fig. 2, through which a bolt 88 extends. A coil spring 89 is in- 4 terposed between the lug 81 of each lower equalizer arm 11 and the head 90 of each bolt 88 and a similar coil spring 9| is interposed between the lug 86 of each upper equalizer arm 16 and a nut 62 on each of the bolts 88. The springs 89 and 9| urge the equalizer arms 16 and 11, the bearing blocks 13 and 14, and opposing shafts 55, 51, 59, 6|, and 56, 58, 88, and 62 toward each other and hold the feed rollers, mounted on said shafts, in engagement with the ears of corn. Stops 93 and 94 on hearing blocks 13 and 14, respectively, limit the movement of opposing shafts 55 and 62 toward each other to prevent the opposing rollers from contacting each other.

To equalize the movement of the shafts of cooperating feed, gauge, and discharge rollers, each of the upper arms 16 is interconnected with its cooperating lower arm 11 for equalized movement therewith. To this end each lower arm 11 (Fig. 1) has an upstanding arm portion 96 provided with a tooth 91 which engages a jaw 98 of a lever 99 rotatably mounted on each stud shaft 16, there being'a lever 99 for each equalizer arm 16. The upper end of each lever 99 is disposed between opposing adjusting screws I82 and I03 threaded into a U-shaped portion I84 of an upstanding projection I05 of each equalizer arm 16. By turning screws I82 and I03 the angular position of the arm 16 relative to the lever 99 and thus relative to the'arm 11 can be adjusted.

When th machine is properly adjusted the rollers of each pair of feed, gauge, and discharge rollers are normally disposed at equal distances above and below the axis 36 of the cutting and scraping heads, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When an ear of corn enters the machine the rollers are spread apart by the ear of corn against the pressure of the compression springs 89 and 9| as it passes between opposing rolls. The rollers 46, 42, 44 and 48 move upwardly, while the rollers 4|, 43, 45, and 49 move downwardly, the amount of yielding movement depending upon the size of the ear, i. e., the diameter thereof. Since the cooperating equalizer arms 16 and 11 are interconnected, as hereinbefore explained, opposing feed, gauge, and discharge rollers will always be disposed at equal distances from the axis 36 so that each ear of corn during its travel through the machine is maintained with its axis coincident to the axis 36 of the cutting and scraping heads 26 and 21.

The auxiliary shaft 28 (Figs. 2 and 4) of the present invention is tubular in form and, as explained above, is mounted for rotation in the bushings I1 and I8 supported by the housing 3. One end of the shaft 20 extends beyond the bushing I8 to receive the beltpulley 22, hereinbefore mentioned. The opposite end of the shaft 2|! extends beyond the bushing I1, is threaded, and has an extended tubular portion I01 threadedly connected thereto and secured in place on the shaft 20 by a set screw I08, as is shown in Fig. 4.

The extended portion I81 of the shaft 20 is provided with internal spiral slots and splines I09 which mesh with similar slots and splines I III of a shaft III arranged for sliding movement in the adjacent enlarged interior II2 of the tubular shaft 26. The inner end of the shaft II I has a rod II 3 threadedly secured thereto and extending through the balance of the interior of shaft 20 and through a plug I I4 which is threaded into the open end of the tubular shaft. A compression spring 5 encircles the rod 3 within the tubular shaft 26 and has its inner end bearing against the shaft III and its outer end against the plug H4, so that the shaft III will normal y be urged outwardly relative to the tubular shaft 20. The amount of pressure xerted by the compression spring H5 against the shaft III can be variedby turning the hexagonal head of the threaded plug H4 to adjust the latter relative to the tubular shaft 20.

The threaded outer end of the rod I I3 extends through the plug I I4 and has a pair of lock nuts H3a thereon which constitute an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of the shaft III, outwardly relative to the shaft under the influence of the compression spring H5. The shaft III is provided with an elongated slot 116 extending longitudinally of the shaft II I, Fig. 4. The shaft 20 is provided with opposed circumferential slots H1, Fig. 7, communicating with the slot H6 and a key H8 extends through the slot H6, opposed circumferential slots H1, and beyond the outer surface of the shaft 20 into akeyway H9 provided in the hub portion I20 of an auxiliary gear I2I. The gear I2I is similar to the cutting head driving gear 28 and is rotatably mounted on the auxiliary shaft 26 adjacent the gear 28 for rotation therewith since the key I I8 establishes a driving connection between the gear I2I and the auxiliary shaft 20. Upon longitudinal movement of the shaft I I I within the shaft 26 the splining I09 0n the extended portion I01 of the shaft 29 engages the splining H0 of the shaft 1:

-I II causing the shaft III to turn within the s aft 20. The key H8 is, therefore, turned with the shaft III and its ends are shifted within the slots H! to thereby turn the gear I2I relative to the shaft 20 and gear 28. Consequently, although the gear I2I rotates in unison with the gear 28, it is adapted to be turned, i. e., advanced or retarded, upon the shaft 20 to vary its circumferential position relative to the gear 28 during head housing I22 by means of clamp screws I29.

The cutting head is thus secured in a-stationary position with its axis disposed coincident to the axis 36 along which the ears of corn travel. A rim I30 on the cutting head housing I 22 is received within a groove I3I in both the support I24 and clamp I to maintain the cutting head in a proper position relative to the feed rollers and to prevent shifting of the cutting head when an ear of corn is thrust into the same by the feed rollers 42, 43. A portion of the rim I is cut out as shown at I32, Fig. 2, and fits over the square head I33 of a screw I34 threaded into the housing 3 to prevent rotation of the housing I22 when the mechanism therein is rotated.

Referring now more specifically to the structure of the cutting head 26, Figs. 3 and 5 through 7, the housing I22 thereof is provided with an annular internal flange I35 forming a guide track upon which a driven gear I36 is supported for retatable movement. This gear I 36 is provided with an annular groove I31 fitting over one side of the annular flange I35 and has an adjacent face I38 abutting against a plate I39 within the internal .periphery of the annular flange I35, the plate I39 Jh'aving'an external flange I40 bearing against the opposite side of the annular flange I35 so that the latter is embraced by the driven gear and plate. The driven gear I36 and plate I39 are secured together by machine bolts I4I, Figs. 6 and 7, are rotatable in unison relative to the stationary track provided by the flange I35 within the housing of the cutting head 26.

Rotatably supported adjacent the external flange I40 of plate I39 is a gear I42 and secured to this gear by machine screws I43 is a knife adjusting ring I44 encircling a plurality of knives I45. The knives are arranged at equally spaced positions within the adjusting ring I44 and are each provided with a laterally extending stud pin I46 disposed in a bushing I41 provided in the plate I39 as is best shown in Fig. 6.

The gear I42, adjusting ring I44, and knive I are retained in their respective positions relative to the plate I39 and driven gear I36 by a removable retaining ring I48 secured to the plate I39 by the heads I49 of cap screws I50, the shanks of which are threaded into the plate I39. The heads I49 of the screws I50 bear against a depressed shoulder I5I formed in arcuate slots I52 provided at equally spaced points around the retaining ring I48 so that when the ring is shifted or rotated, clockwise, Fig. 7, the heads I49 will be disposed within unflanged portions of. the slots I52 to permit removal of the retaining ringr One of the arcuate slots I52a is lengthened to receive a spring clip I53 secured to the retaining ring by a cap screw I54. The opposite end of the spring clip I53 is so disposed in the slot I520 that when the retaining ring-is rotated counterclockwise, Fig. 7, into locking position, the spring clip will snap down against the shoulder I5I and abut against the head I49 of the screw I59 to prevent reverse twisting of the retaining'fring unless the spring clip is manually flexed outwardly for the purpose of removing the ring.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the driven gear I36, plate I39, gear I42, and adjusting ring I44,'as well as the knives I45 are rotatable concentric with respect to and within the housing I22. v

The cutting head 26 is completed by the provision of suitable shielding plates I55 and I56. The plate I55 is secured by cap screws I5'I to the annular forward edge of the housing I22 and has a frusto-conical shaped central portion I59 terminating in an annular rim I60'abutting against the front faces of the knives I45 thereby providing an entrance to the cutting head completely covering the driven gear I36 and plate I39 and "shielding the internal mechanism of the cutting head from juices dripping from the ear of corn as kernels are cut from the same by thecutting knives. The plate I56 is secured to the opposite annular edge of the housing I22 by cap screws I6I, extends over the teeth of the gear I42 and abuts against the outer edge of the adjusting ring I to also shield the internal mechanism of the cutting head from the juices dripping from the relative to the stationary portion thereof, i. e.,

the annular track I35, housing I22, and the shielding plates I55 and I56 thereof.

In this manner the driven mechanism or the cutting head is rotated counterclockwise in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and (clockwise Fig. 7) within the cutting head housing to draw or whirl the several knives I45 around an ear of corn as it is fed through the cutting head by the feed rollers 42 and 43.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the flanged track I35 of the housing I22 provides the only bearing surfaces between the housing and the internal mechanism of the cutting head. The bearing surfaces thus provided are lubricated in the usual manner by oil entering through a passage I51 provided in the housing I22 (Figs. 5 and 6) and terminating at the internal face of the track I35.

During whirling of the several knives, as stated above, corn milk clinging to the body portions of the knives has a tendency to work outwardly along the body of the knives under the influence of centrifugal force. While a greater portion of such corn milk is removed from the knives by the annular rim Hill of the frusto-conical portion I59 of the plate I55, some corn milk will continue to work outwardly along the knives due to centrifugal force and, therefore, will enter between the knives and plate I39 as well as between the plates I39 and I55. Such corn milk, especially the milk or juices from cream style oorn'are very starchy and have a tendency to become tacky and to gradually interfere with the movement of the internal mechanism of the cutting head. Since the track I35 is of lesser diameterv than the outer periphery of the driven gear I35 and gear I42, and the plate I39 and driven gear I36 completely embrace the track I35, the track is shielded from the outwardly trending starchy juices. The plate I39 and driven gear I36 are secured together by the bolts I4I such that the corn milk cannot pass between them along the face I33 of the gear I38. Consequently, the corn milk working outwardly along the knives and oetween the plates I39 and I55 must continue outwardly between the driven gear I35 and plate I55 or between the gear I42 and the external flange I40 of the plate I39. Since the gears I36 and I42 are rapidly rotating, the corn milk reaching the peripheries thereof will be forced outwardly due to centrifugal force and, therefore. will not flow inwardly toward the annular track I35. The corn milk is thrown from the periphery of each gear I35 and I42 against the internal face of the. housing I22 and eventually is discharged therefrom by way of the openings I65 and I55 in its periphery.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the internal mechanism of the cutting head can be kept well lubricated because lubricating medium entering between the bearing surfaces of the track I35 and the plate and gear I 39, I36 also has a tendency to work its way outwardly due to centrifugal force and will be discharged from the housing I22 with the corn milk discharging from the same through the openings I55 and I66. It is, therefore, apparent that the lubricating medium cannot escape from the interior of the housing along the cutting knives I45 and beyond the annular rim I80 of the shield I55. Therefore, the lubricating medium cannot come in contact with the corn kernels and juices discharging from the cutting knives into the frusto conical portion I53 of the cutting head. Consequently, con

tamination of the kernels and corn milk discharging from the knives is prevented and a pure unadulterated finished product is assured.

The knives I45 are substantially O shaped as is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 and their main body portions I68 are hung from the stud pins I46 in such a manner as to normally swing outwardly due to centrifugal force as the knives whirl within the cutting head. The free end of the main body portion I68 of each knife is bent approximately 85 degrees laterally providing forwardly extending blade portions I10 disposed in a plane substantially radially relative to the axis of the stud pin I46 about which the respective knife swings.

I10 is disposed foremost within the frusto-conical entrance I59 of the cutting head and is cut off at an angle of approximately 25 degrees to provide an apex I'II adjacent the trailing edge I12 of the blade.

Each blade I10 is provided with an inner face I13 which is initially hollow ground or of concave shape to conform substantially to the periphery of an ear of corn, the configuration of the several blades I15 being such as to provide a. substantially circular orifice, see Fig. '7, concentric to the axis 33 irrespective of whether the knives are in open or closed position. The inner face I13 is also initially ground from the heel of the blade toward the free end thereof at an angle of 2 degrees so that the free end of the blade will be disposed a. greater distance from the axis 35 of the cutting head than is the heel of the blade. The outer face I14 of each blade I10. i. e., opposite the face I13 thereof, is convex and tapers toward the extreme end of the blade. Each blade is sharpened by grinding the face I14 so as to provide a cutting edge I15 at the extreme end of the blade which cutting edge gradually rises from the leading edge I16 of the blade toward the apex I1I adjacent the trailing edge I12 of the blade.

The back edge of the C-shaped body portion I68 of each knife (Fig. 7) is provided with a camming surface I18 which engages an adjacent camrning projection I on the inner periphery of the knife adjusting ring I44, there being one such projection for each knife to limit the outward movement of each of the knives under the action of centrifugal force as they whirl within the cutting head. Each camming projection I80 is preferably a hardened steel disk inserted in the adjusting ring and secured thereto by welding or the like, in such a position that the camming surface I18 of each knife is engaged at precisely the same point to hold the several knives in concentric relation with respect to the axis 33 of the cutting head.

Since the knife adjusting ring I44 and gear I42 are rotatable with respect to the driven gear I36 and plate I 39, a slight turning of the gear I42 and ring I44, clockwise (Fig. 7) relative to the driven gear I36, causes the several camming projections I80 to shift with respect to the knives I45 and to bear against the camming surfaces I13 thereof to cam or swing the knives simultaneously inwardly, counterclockwise (Fig. '7) in opposition to the effect of centrifugal force thereon. In this manner the knives I45 are caused to move in unison, iris fashion, into their closed position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, and in full lines in Figs. 1 2, 3, 5, and 6.

The knives I45 are normally disposed in closed position by the action of the compression spring H5 in the auxiliary drive shaft 20. In other The extreme end of each blade portion words, the spring II urges the shaft III out- Wardly relative to the tubular shaft 20, Fig.4, causing the shaft III to turn as its splining IIO shifts in the splinin I09 of the extended portion I01 of the shaft 20. As the shaft III is thus turned,'the key H8 and gear I2I-, are turned in one direction and the gear I42'and knife adjusting ring I44 are correspondingly turned in an opposite. direction. The knife adjusting ring 4 is. thus turned relative to the driven gear I36 and plate I39 to shift the camming projections I08 into their normal or dotted line position, Fig. 7, to therebymaintain the knives I45 in their extreme closed position.

The exposed end of the splined shaft II I has a case hardened ball ended stud I83 threadedly connected thereto (Fig. 4) and the ball end of of this stud is disposed in a concave'or groove I84 formed in a lever arm I85. The lever arm I85 is pivotally mounted on a stud pin I86 secured to a bracket I81 forming part of and depending from the housing 3 as is shown in Fig. 3. A second lever arm I88 (Figs. 3 and 4) formed integrally with or welded to the arm I85, is movable therewithon the stud pin I86 and has a bifurcated free end I 89 embracing a stud pin I90 within an annular recess I 9| provided in the stud I90. The shank of the stud I90 is threadedly connectedto the lower end of a push rod I92 and is peened securely to the same as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3..

The push rod I92 is arranged for vertical sliding movement in a sleeve I93 formed on the lower portion of the housing 3 and located substantially between and below the first and second pairs'of feed rollers 40 to 43 inclusive. The lower portion of the sleeve I93 is cut away exteriorly. of the housing 3 to provide a vertical slot 194 through which the stud I90 extends so as to prevent turning of the push rod I92 relative to the sleeve I93.

The upper end of the push rod I92 normally extends above the sleeve I93 to the level of the lower feed roller shafts 5'6 and 58 and has a cap or head I95 mounted thereon and secured thereto by headless set screws I96. The set screws I96 bear against a flattened surface I91 provided on the push rod L92 to prevent turning of the head I95 relative to the push rod. The head I95 has an integral'nose portion I98 which extends beneath the roller shaft 58, adjacent the cutting head 26, and normally engages a bearing sleeve I99 mounted upon the shaft 58. Threaded into the top of the head I95 is a bolt 0 adapted to bear against the top surface of 'the'push rod for adjusting the position of the head relative to the push rod when the set screws I96 are loosened. The position of the nose portion I98 relative to the rol er shaft and sleeve I99 can thus be adjusted when the feed rollers are in their normal or closed position. 7

Assuming the machine to be in operation, the auxiliary drive shaft 20 is driven by pulleys 22, 24, and belt causing rotation of the drive gears 28, 29, and the gear I 2| thereby rotating the driven mechanism of both the cutting and scraping head at a comparatively high speed, for instance, 1200 R. P. M.

The scraping head is constructed and operates inthe manner described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,323,092 dated June 29, 1943 and since it is not pertinent to the present invention, reference to such patent may be had for a more complete understanding of the scraping head.

The roller shafts 55 through 62 are driven from thecommon drive shaft I3 simultaneously with the operation of the auxiliary drive shaft 20 to rotate the feed rollers 40, 4|, 42, and 43, pronged rollers 4, 45, and discharge rollers 48 and 49 while the ears of corn are continuously fed toward the rapidly rotating cutting head by the feed chain 3|. Each ear of corn passes between cooperating rollers 40, M, and 42, 43 and is fed thereby into the cutting head 26 along the axis 36 thereof. As an ear of corn enters between the feed rollers 42 and 43, it spreads them apart causing their respective shafts 51 and 59 to swing away from each other against the action of the coil springs 89, 9I associated there- With.. The roller shaft 58 is thereby moved downwardly causing the bearing sleeve I99 thereon to press downwardly upon the nose portion I99 of the head I95 to thereby move the push rod !92 downwardly in the sleeve I93. When the push rod is thus moved downwardly, the stud pin I99 at the lower end thereof bears down upon the bifurcated lever arm I88 swinging the latter and the lever arm I about the stud pin I86, counterclockwise in Fig. 3 (clockwise in Fig. 4) causing the grooved upper end I84 of the arm I 85 to push against the ball ended stud I83.

The stud I83 and splined shaft I I I are rotating at high speed with the auxiliary shaft 20 and relative to the lever arm I85 as the latter presses the splined shaft into the tubular shaft 20 against the action of the compression spring 5. Since the splined extension I01 of the shaft 20 is se-. cured thereto and rotating therewith, movement of the splined shaft I I I within the tubular shaft 28 causes a relative turning of the splined shaft III in a direction opposite to its direction ofrotation (Fig. '7) thereby turning the key -I I8 and gear I2! from dotted toward full line position (Fig. 7). In other words, turning of the splined shaft causes a retarding'action in the rotation of the gear I2I to shift the latter circumferene tially backwards relative to the gear 28 during its rotation with the same. Turning of the gear I2l from dotted toward full line position (Fig. '7) causes turning of the gear I42 and knife adjust ing ring J44 in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. '7, relative to the driven gear I36 within the cutting head 26. The several camming projections I80 on the knife adjusting ring I44 are thereby shifted circumferentially away from the back edges I18 of the knives I45 allowing the knives to swing outwardly, i. e., to open up in iris fashion under the centrifugal forces acting upon the same.

The outward movement of the knives I45 as aforesaid is limited due to the engagement of the edges I18 thereof with the camming projections I89 of the knife adjusting ring. Consequently, the position of the blades I19 relative to the earof corn is determined by the relative positions of the feed rollers 42, 43 with respect to the ear of corn engaged by the latter.

The relationship between the gauging rollers 42, 43 and the blades I10 of the knives can best be visualized in Fig. 2. It will be noted in Fig. 2

that as the peripheries of the rollers 42, 43 bear against theouter periphery of an ear of corn, the cutting edges I15 of the several blades are set to cut the kernels from the' ear slightly above the cob line of the ear as the rollers feed it through the cutting head. This relationship between the peripheries of the gauge rollers and the cutting edges I15 of the blades may be varied by the tightening or releasing the bolt 200 relative to, the head I so as to change the position of its nose portion 198 relative to the sleeve 199. In this manner the relationship between the cutting edges I15 and the peripheries of the gauge rollers can be changed to different depths of cut to suit the particular kernel being out or for cutting either whole kernels or portions thereof, as in the case of cream style corn. However, once this relationship is determined it remains the same irrespective of spreading of the gauge rollers by an ear of corn. In other words, the spreading of the rollers 42 and 43 as hereinbefore explained causes a corresponding opening of the several blades I at an approximate 1 to 1 ratio, in iris fashion, their cutting edges remaining in direct relation to the distance between the spool shaped gauge rollers 42, 43. Therefore, the diameter of the orifice provided by the several blades I10 is in direct relation to the diameter of the ear of corn as detected by the gauge rollers so as to slice the kernels from the cob at approximately the same depth irrespective of deviations in the diameter of the ear of corn.

It will be noted that the configuration of the concave surfaces I13 and the angular disposition of the several blades I10 relative to the long axis of an ear of corn is such that irrespective of the position of the several blades between open and closed position,the cutting edges I of the blades will at all times be disposed in the desired cutting plane, for instance, a radial distance from the axis 36 which is slightly outside the cob line of the ear of corn.

Consequently, as the knives I open in the manner as above described, their cutting edges I15 are accurately set in direct cutting relation with respect to the ear of corn and as the ear enters between the whirling cutting knives and passes therebetween, the kernels are cut from the ear without scraping or digging into the cob. The kernels thus cut from the cob are discharged from the knives and deflected by the frusto-conical portion I59 of the plate I into a collecting chute or the like, not shown.

Due to the angular disposition of the inner faces I13 of the blades I10 of the knives I45, it is apparent that special or precision grinding is unnecessary because even though the tapered surface I14 of a blade is ground during subsequent sharpening of the blade, the cutting edge I15 thereof will always be in the arcuate plane of the inner face I13 of the blade. By reason of the cutting edge I15 being disposed to out the kernels from an oncoming ear of corn at a predetermined cutting plane, for instance, slightly outside thecob line thereof, the knife structure of the present invention readily adapts itself to the knife adjusting movement of the cutting head and to any variations in the tapered end of an ear of corn. Moreover, the cutting edge I15 being obliquely disposed relative to the oncoming ear of corn and being spaced properly from the cob line of the same, clean and accurate cutting of the kernels from the ear without scraping fibers from the cob is assured irrespective of whether the corn is blanched or unblanched.

The leading portion of the ear of corn after passing the blades I10 enters between the pronged rollers 44, 45 which are slightly greater in diameter than the feed rollers 42, 43 and, therefore, accelerate the withdrawal of the ear of corn from the cutting head. The trailing end of the ear of corn is engaged by the gauging rollers 42, 43 until only a few annular rows of kernels remain to be cut from its tapered end. As the ear of corn passes from between the gauging rollers.

they are released for movement toward each other by their respective coil springs 89, 9|. The roller shaft 58 and sleeve I99 thereon is therefore moved away from the nose portion I98 associated with the push rod I92 freeing the latter for upward movement. Consequently the lever arms I88 and I are freed and the splined shaft II I thereby released for return movement toward its normal position by action of the compression spring H5. The splined shaft is accordingly turned relative to the shaft 20 and the gear I21 advanced relative to the gear 28 (counterclockwise Fig. 7). The adjusting ring I44 is, there fore, advanced relative to the driven gear I" and plate I39 causing the protuberances I to urge the knives I45 inwardly against the action of centrifugal forces acting upon the same. However, it will be noted that the heel or base of each knife, where the body portion I68 meets the blade I10 thereof, will ride upon the cob of the ear being withdrawn from the cutting head and the blades will thereby be prevented from returning into full closed position.

Since the inner concave face I13 of each blade is initially ground away and disposed substantially at an angle of 2 degrees with respect to the axis 36 of the cutting head, the heel is maintained in contact with the periphery of the cob while the cutting edge I15 is disposed slightly above the cob line to slice the kernels remaining on the tapered end of the ear at the desired cutting plane.

By the time the ear of corn passes from between the several blade portions I10 and before the latter are permitted to return to their normal or closed position, the next succeeding ear will have entered between the gauging rollers 42, 43 spreading them in the manner as hereinbefore explained to' again set the blades of the cutting knives in the proper position to slice the kernels from such ear of corn as it is thrust into the cutting head along the axis 36.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that in the construction of the present inv'ention, only a few parts are required in the cutting head and especially that no springs are used within the cutting head making it easier to maintain the internal mechanism of the cutting head in proper working order. Another im-' portant advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that once the internal mechanism of the cutting head is adjusted during manufacture, no further major adjustments are required after it has been installed. Moreover, the feature of initially grinding the cutting edges of the several knives to the proper angle and curvature relative to an ear of corn eliminates precision grinding and honing during subsequent sharpening of the blades as is required in prior types of corn cutter blades.

Having thus described the present invention, I desire it to be understood that it is not limited to the precise details of construction illustrated, but that various applications, modifications, and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. I, therefore, deem myself entitled to such applications, modifications, and variations as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a green corn cutter comprising a rotary knife carrier, a plurality of knives mounted on said carrier for radial movement relative to its central axis under the influence of centrifugal knives to limit outward movement thereof, means for driving said carrier, an auxiliary gear carried by said driving means and engaging said knife adjusting means for rotating said knife adjusting means, gauging means mounted in advance of said carrier for engaging an ear of corn delivered endwise toward said knives, and means operatively connecting said gauging means with said driving means for advancing or retarding said auxiliary gear to correspondingly shift said knife adjusting means relative to the carrier to thereby effect inward and permit outward movement of said knives commensurate with the movement of said gauging means as determined by the diameter of said ear of corn for cutting the kernels from the ear at a predetermined depth relative to the periphery of the same.

2. A green corn cutter comprising a cutting head including a knife driving gear carrying a plurality of knives adapted to move outwardly under the influence of centrifugal force, a knife adjusting ring encompassing said knives and engageable with the same for limiting outward movement thereof, an internally splined drive shaft, a drive gear keyed to said drive shaft in engagement with said knife driving gear for rapidly rotating the same, a splined shaft slidably mounted in the drive shaft and adapted to turn when shifted therein, a knife adjusting gear drivingly engaging said knife adjusting ring and slidably keyed to said splined shaft for turning movement therewith relative to the drive shaft, means for normally urging said splined shaft in one direction for turning the knife adjusting gear and ring into a position for holding said knives in their extreme closed position, means for gaugin the diameter of an ear of corn as it is fed into said cutting head and for shifting the splined shaft correspondingly away from its normal position within said drive shaft to thereby turn said adjusting ring to position said knives for cutting the kernels from the ear at a predetermined depth irrespective of the diameter of the ear of corn.

3. A green corn cutter comprising a cutter head including a stationary annular housing provided with an internal track, a driven gear mounted for rotation on said internal track and having a central opening for passing an ear of corn endwise therethrough; a plurality of knives mounted on said driven gear for radial movement in iris fashion within the central opening of said driven gear and adapted to move outward under the influence of centrifugal force, a driving shaft having rotary gear drive means thereon operatively engaging said driven gear for effecting outward movement of said knives under the influence of centrifugal force, a knife adjusting gear mounted concentrically on and rotatably adjustable relatively to said driven gear and operatively engaging said knives for limiting outward movement thereof, a second gear mounted on said drive shaft and having driving connection with said knife adjusting gear, means normally moving said second gear on said drive shaft to rotate said knife adjusting gear relatively to said rotating driven gear to maintain said knives in their extreme closed position, means for gauging the diameter of an ear of corn passing through said central opening, and means operatively interconnecting said ear gauging means and said second gear carried by said drive shaft for rotating said second gear relatively to said drive shaft and thereby rotating said knife adjusting gear relative to said driven gear thereby to permit centrifugal opening of said knives in predetermined relation to the diameter of the ear of corn passing through said central opening for cutting the kernels from the ear.

4. A green corn cutter comprising a rotary knife carrier, a knife mounted thereon for radial movement under the influence of entrifugal force upon rotation of the carrier, a power driven drive shaft, first gear means interconnecting the drive shaft and carrier for driving the carrier, knife adjusting means mounted to rotate adjacent said carrier and co-axially thereof, a portion of said adjusting means being mounted to retain the knife against radial movement by centrifugal force, second gear means interconnecting the drive shaft to the knife adjusting means for driving the knife adjusting means, means to shift said second gear means relative to the first gear means to move said knife adjusting means relatively to the knife, means biasing said second gear means relatively to the first gear means to normally urge the knife adjusting means to a position preventing radial movement of the knife under the influence of centrifugal force, gauging means mounted to be actuated by an ear of corn fed endwise toward the knife to gauge the diameter of the ear, and means interconnecting the gauging means with the second gear means to shift the second gear means relatively to the first gear means and thereby to turn the knife adjusting means to free the knife for limited outward movement under the influence of centrifugal force proportionately to the amount of actuation of the gauging means.

CHARLES E. KERR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

